Together
by StarSeeker3459
Summary: Sam and Eric have always been together. It was like that on the island, they never let the other out of their sight. But what happens when Eric leaves for a two-week vacation to Australia? How will Sam cope without his twin brother? Takes place after the island. NO SLASH-just brotherly love.
1. Here We Go Again

**A/N: Nothing much to say here… Oh yeah, sorry for the huge paragraphs.**

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**Title: **Together

**Word Count: **618

**Author: **StarSeeker3459

**Description: **Sam and Eric have always been together. It was like that on the island, they never let the other out of their sight. But what happens when Eric leaves for a two-week vacation to Australia? How will Sam cope without his twin brother? Takes place after the island. NO SLASH—just brotherly love.

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**Chapter 1: Here We Go Again**

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Sam and Eric hadn't changed much since they arrived back from the island. They still remembered the moment reuniting with their parents, family and other friends on that dock three years ago. Sure, they had both got a little taller, more broad-shouldered, and still dressed the same like they had done before the island. They didn't share a bedroom anymore, which was quite sad for them because, well, they clearly didn't think they would be stranded on an island for who knows how many months. The island had given them plenty of things to be scared of now. They couldn't stand sleeping in their own bed anymore (not that they ever did before the island) at night because they were scared of the dark. It also helped with the several nightmares they had about Roger, the sadist on the island, who had tortured them into joining Jack's tribe and telling them where Ralph was hiding.

Another fear that they had developed since the island was the fear of losing one another. They couldn't stand to be without each other, their unity as twins had increased quite a lot since the incidents on the island. They didn't go to the same school as they did before the island, as soon as they were reunited with their parents, they had to get home, grab their stuff and leave. Their parents had moved them as far away as possible from their old home. Sam and Eric thought that that was a good thing, leaving their old home behind. Too many memories were made there, good and bad, both ones that each twin regrets.

"Good morning boys." Sam and Eric's mother chimed as she entered the kitchen, seeing her twin boys sitting together at the table, eating breakfast as per usual. Even though she was their mother, sometimes it felt like even she couldn't tell them apart.

Sam and Eric sat next to each other in companionable silence as they ate breakfast. Sam didn't like oatmeal. He never had. Eric loved it. Sam had told him that he was just crazy. It was all runny and disgusting, although Sam had to admit that it was one of the healthiest things he ate. He preferred a hearty breakfast of bacon and scrambled eggs on toast. So did his father, as a matter of fact.

"What do you want to do today, Sam?" Eric asked Sam as he took yet another mouthful of oatmeal from his bowl. Sam shrugged. It was raining pretty hard outside, so whatever it is they did, it had to be something they could do indoors.

"Dunno. We can't play outside, it's raining." Sam said, glancing out the sliding glass door that led to their backyard. The pool was overflowing, Sam realized. He made a mental note to tell his father this later when he came home from work. Sam and Eric were on school holidays, which they loved, because they could catch up on a lot of sleep that they had been missing out on due to… certain dreams. Sam winced as an image of Roger looming over the twins entered his mind. Eric seemed to be reading Sam's mind, and grabbed Sam's hand underneath the table and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Sam smiled into his bowl of oatmeal.

Whatever he did today, he didn't mind. As long as it was with Eric.

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**A/N: Any ideas? Don't worry. My next chapters are defiantly going to be longer than this. Any comments? Suggestions? Errors? Constructive criticism would be helpful too, of course. Just leave a review!**


	2. Just How It Is

**A/N: Please read and enjoy my second chapter of Together. I know these chapters are quite short, but I promise the story will be worth while in the end!**

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**Chapter 2: Just How It Is**

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"How long is it for?" The twins were pouring over brochures that their Geography teacher had given them at school. Eric grabbed the nearest one on the kitchen table, which stated the date of the trip and the time that they would leave.

"Two weeks." Eric announced. Sam frowned. Two weeks was an awful long time to be away from home. And if only one of them won the trip… then… then… they wouldn't be together.

Sam couldn't manage two weeks without Eric. He always needed his brother there beside him.

"What if… what if only one of us wins it?" Sam asked the unbearable question. At school, they were holding a competition where only a handful of students were selected for the trip of a lifetime—a two-week vacation to Australia. Of course, as well as sight seeing, they still had to do some work beforehand for it.

Eric glanced up at his twin. "We can't not be together—"

"We always are." Sam finished. Sam didn't want to admit it, but he had a feeling that they were going to be split up. Something that had always scared him greatly.

"They just have to let both of us go. They don't understand. We're twins, we're always meant to be together—" Eric said.

"But just say that we are?" Sam asked, cringing at the thought of being separated.

"We won't be. No one will ever split us up." Eric said.

"Promise?" Sam asked.

"Promise."

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Sam kept his gaze glued to the floor. He held his head in his hand, where a big bruise was now forming.

"Awww, Sam. I'm sorry." Eric said, putting his arm around Sam. Sam attempted to shrug it off.

"It was an accident, Sam. I never meant to hurt you." Eric said softly.

Sam shook his head. "That is _the _last time I'm doing that with you again. It's always _me _who ends up getting hurt in our stupid contests."

Eric leaned his head on his brother's shoulder. Sam put his own head on top of Eric's.

"_Sam Johnson, you get out here this instant." _ Their mother's voice rang throughout the house.

The twins walked out of their bedroom and into the living room, where their mother and father were standing with their arms crossed firmly over their chests.

_Think I'm in trouble_? Sam's voice entered Eric's head. Since they were twins, they had some kind of weird telepathic connection, which allowed them to communicate without speaking to one another.

_I don't think so. _Eric's voice said in Sam's mind.

Their mother glanced at Sam, then at Eric.

"I only asked for Sam to come out. Eric, go back to your room." Their mother said strictly.

"But—" Eric protested helplessly.

"_Now." _

Eric glanced at Sam, then back at his mother's stern expression and left the room. Once Eric was out of earshot (he made that clear by slamming their bedroom door) Sam's mother bent down to his level and placed both her hands on Sam's arms.

"Sam, sweetie. We just had a call from the school," she spoke softly. Sam's eyes connected with his mother's. Was he in trouble?

"It's about Eric." Sam felt his shoulders drop.

"What about Eric? Is something wrong?" Sam asked.

His mother shook his head. "No. The school called because he won some kind of competition. They said you two had both entered it together, but… only one of you could be chosen," his mother said.

Sam froze. What did she mean?

"Eric's going to Australia."

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Eric sighed as he climbed into his own bed later that night. It felt strange. He hadn't slept in his own bed for God knows how long. Sam still wasn't speaking to him. Eric had even tried to communicate to him telepathically, but Sam blocked out the connection.

Eric didn't like being on his own. He was used to just rolling over and seeing his brother's face. Eric had tried to reason with Sam earlier on after dinner, but Sam didn't seem as though he was paying attention. He shivered as a light breeze past through him underneath his sheet.

He heard Sam roll over in bed. Eric knew he wasn't asleep yet.

Eric had to fight hard not to get out of bed and climb into Sam's.

Just then, Eric heard a strange sort of sound from the other side of the room. It was a sniff.

"Sam?" Eric called softly. The sniffling stopped. Eric bit his lip. He didn't like seeing Sam upset.

Sam sniffed again. _That was it, _Eric decided. Eric pushed his sheet off him and felt the cold wooden floor underneath his bare feet as he journeyed across the room to his brother's bed.

Eric lifted Sam's sheet and climbed into bed next to him.

There, the two lay in the dark, and fell asleep with Eric's arms around Sam.

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**A/N: … Review? :D**


	3. Two Much Time

**Chapter 3: Two Much Time**

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Four months had passed since Eric won the trip to Australia. They were now back at school after a rather pleasant holiday, and things weren't going that great for Sam.

He hated school. He didn't know why, he just did. Every time someone would mention school, Sam felt sick. Eric was the smart one; even their parents would admit it. Sam's mother had received multiple letters in the past couple of months about how Sam's grades were slipping. Sam had told his mother that he didn't know why he wasn't keeping up with the coursework.

He had been coming up with several excuses each time a letter was sent home to his parents about a missed test or a failed exam.

Sam, of course, knew exactly why he hadn't been keeping up with his schoolwork.

Eric was going to Australia. For _two whole weeks_.

Sam didn't like being on his own.

He wished he could go with Eric. He wished he could be beside his brother. He wished he could have been as smart as Eric to win the competition. They didn't understand. They were always known as "the Johnson twins," or "Samneric," not just "Sam," and most definitely not just "Eric," either.

"Eric?" his mother called.

"I'm Sam." Sam replied, feeling slightly irritated.

His mother poked her head around the corner and into his bedroom. "Sorry Sam, sweetie, will you come and set the table? It's nearly dinner time."

Sam nodded and followed his mother out of his room. Just as he passed the front door he saw the door handle push down and open.

Eric had just come home from school; he always stayed behind on Wednesday afternoons because the Geography students going to Australia always met once a week to do some work for their trip, in which they would be leaving for in just one week.

"It's nearly dinnertime," said Sam. "So you'd better come and help set the table."

Eric's smile faltered. Something about the way his brother spoke to him sent shivers down his spine. His voice sounded cold, empty, even… like there was no life to it. He hadn't smiled either.

Eric wondered if there was something wrong with Sam, because his brother had been acting strange for the past couple of days.

Yesterday, their parents had received _two _more letters from school saying that Sam had missed a test and hadn't done his homework, _twice_. Eric had tried to ask his brother why that had happened, but Sam always either chose to ignore Eric, something of which Eric did not like, or change the subject quickly, like Sam always did whenever something was troubling him or when he was agitated.

Eric made his way to the kitchen and dropped his bag on the floor. Sam was setting plates on the table, while their mother was setting out the cups.

"Eric, would you please put the cutlery out?" his mother asked. Eric nodded and headed into the kitchen. He grabbed some knives and forks out of the cutlery draw and placed them around the table.

Dinner was a sombre affair. Their father wasn't home yet; he had to stay behind at work due to a meeting. Their mother had asked them how their day at school was, and both twins had answered with "fine."

"Well, I'm done." Sam announced, standing up and pushing his plate of untouched food forward. Eric glanced down at Sam's plate and then back up at his brother.

"You've hardly eaten anything, Sam." Eric said.

Sam shrugged. "I'm not hungry." With that, he pushed his chair back and walked back up to their bedroom.

Eric finished his dinner 5 minutes later. He then headed upstairs to his bedroom. When he opened the door, he found Sam in a lump underneath his bed. Eric smiled at his brother's strange behaviour and walked over. He sat down on the edge of Sam's bed.

"Sam, are you in there?" Eric asked, poking what he thought would be Sam's side. The lump that looked like a head moved up and down.

"Was that a yes?" Eric asked.

"Yes." Sam mumbled.

Eric glanced around the room. "If I lock the door will you promise to come out of there and tell me what's wrong?"

The lump that was Sam's head moved up and down again. Eric sat up and walked over to the bedroom door. He locked it, and, for good measure, propped a chair up against the door handle in case their parents tried to use the key.

"Ok, it's locked. Now will you tell me what's wrong?" Eric watched as his brother sat up, pushing the blue covers off of his body and swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

"What were you doing under there?" Eric asked Sam.

"I wasn't upset if that's what you're wondering," said Sam. "I was just thinking."

"Ok," said Eric. "What were you thinking about?"

Sam scoffed. "What? Do I have to share _everything _with you?"

Eric looked offended. He stood up. Sam could tell he was angry. "Well excuse me for caring about my own brother!"

Sam rolled his eyes. "Well if it is such a big deal for you to care about me, then maybe you shouldn't." Sam stood up and matched Eric's height.

"Fine. I won't." Eric snapped, and left the room.

Sam sighed and collapsed back onto his bed and closed his eyes.

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**A/N: Sorry it took so long, but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless. I will be keeping up with my updating, and will be updating every Friday/Saturday of each week.**


	4. So Long Goodbye

**A/N: So sorry for the late update my fellow readers. I hope you like this chapter - it was inspired by the song "So Long Goodbye" by Sum 41. You should listen to it - it's a great band. It will also help get in the character's mood if you listen to this song while reading this chapter. Just a recommendation - you don't have to if you don't want to. Okay, enough of my rambling, read, review and most importantly enjoy!**

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**Chapter 4: So Long Goodbye**

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****As far back as Sam could remember, he was always with Eric. He remembered their first day of school; together. He remembered when they first learned to ride a bike; together. He remembered their second grade play, when he was too nervous to go on stage. Even if he only did have one line to say. And who was it that held his hand and stood by his side the entire time?

Eric.

So Sam stood there, on their cold bedroom floor, watching Eric pack his bags. His brother was leaving. For two. Whole. Weeks.

Eric was almost done.

Who would be there for him when he had to go home and tell his parents he forgot to do his homework or was failing another class? Or what if he just needed a sympathetic ear? Or a shoulder to cry on?

And then Eric was done.

Eric wondered if he was in Hell. It was sure almost as if he was. He zipped up his bag and sighed. He could feel his brother's eyes drilling holes into his head.

"Are you going to stand there all day?" Eric asked. The past couple of days had been rather difficult for the twins, there had been a lot of arguments in the dead of night, fighting, yelling, and the occasional name calling.

Today made things even harder, because Eric was leaving.

Sam scoffed. "What, you want me to go somewhere else?"

The sarcasm was so obvious that Eric had to take deep breaths to calm himself down.

"No, I wouldn't mind if you did, though," Eric shot back, whipping around to face his brother.

"Oh, and where should I go? Australia, perhaps?"

They both glared at each other. Out of the pair, Eric could classify that he was the kind of person that could express himself and show his emotions easily. Sam, on the other hand, would tell you how he felt, when really he felt different on the inside and he would go against all odds to try to hide it.

The odds in this factor would be his brother.

"Maybe if you actually paid attention during class for once, you'd probably would," the words came out faster before Eric could even try to stop them. He knew he had gone too far.

School had become one of those topics that Sam had flung aside when mentioned or brought up. Left alone.

Forgotten. Kicked in the dirt, and become that thing nobody wanted. Not even his own brother.

Sam blinked. He shook his head. Was he talking about school... Or himself?

"... Sam?" Eric prodded gently.

The really strange thing was, was that after an argument all previous name calling, snarky remarks and teasing was forgotten. The tears would then come and all would be forgiven.

And it was always Sam who was the one in tears. Right now, Sam hated himself for that.

Hated himself for being so darn weak _hated _himself for being stupid, why wasn't he as smart as Eric? Why couldn't he get to go with his brother?

Eric's arm was around him. Pulling him close and telling him everything will be okay. Just like he used to when they were younger.

Just like he used to when Sam was happy. Sam wiped his eyes furiously with his shirt sleeve and pushed Eric away. He did not want to think about that. Not right now. Not when his brother was so close to him. Too close Sam was afraid of losing him.

"Sam..." Eric said, reaching for his brother's arm. Sam moved further away from Eric. Further away and closer to the bathroom door.

"Eric! Time to go! Say goodbye to your brother!"

Eric flinched at the sound of his mother's voice. He glanced at his bags, then at his brother and back again.

"I have to go," Eric said quietly.

Sam rolled his eyes. "I heard."

They were silent for a few moments. Without warning, Eric's arms were around Sam. Hugging him tight, not wanting to let his brother go. They stayed like that for a full minute. Eric's mother's voice rang through the house once more, and Eric winced. After one last hug goodbye, Eric grabbed his bags from his bed and left the room.

Little did Eric know that that might be the last time he would ever be allowed to hug his brother.

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**A/N: Again, I apologise for such a late update, please don't hate me. So, Eric's gone. How do you think Sam will cope? Will he miss Eric (why did I even bother asking that question?) or will he be glad he's gone...? Leave a review below and tell me what you think! **


	5. Pieces

**A/N: Just a fair warning that this chapter has a few dark themes ahead... if you're not comfortable reading then I suggest don't continue on. As for the others, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Flies.**

**Chapter 5: Pieces**

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Eric nervously boarded the Qantas Flight 123 to Sydney with the rest of his Geography class. The rest of the children were chattering happily amongst themselves as they moved their way through the crowd of mainly adults and a few small children until they found their seats, which were at the very back of the plane, as so not to disturb (well, as much as they could at least) the other passengers on the plane.

Shaking slightly as he sat down in his seat beside the window, he took deep breaths and thought back to earlier that morning when he was still with Sam.

A thousand memories flooded through his mind as he thought of his brother.

Happy ones.

Sad ones.

Angry ones.

Then there were those memories that had no meaning to Eric whatsoever. Like the heated conversation Eric could faintly recover from that morning.

_Sam scoffed. "What, you want me to go somewhere else?"_

_The sarcasm was so obvious that Eric had to take deep breaths to calm him down._

_"No, I wouldn't mind if you did, though," Eric shot back, whipping around to face his brother._

_"Oh, and where should I go? Australia, perhaps?"_

Being the more sensitive twin, Eric tried to hold himself together. Whenever things got too overwhelming for Eric, it was always Sam who would be there for him when it came to be too much.

_But he's not here now, is he? Where is he, Eric? Where's your brother? He's not with you. Not anymore. _

Eric blinked furiously and tried to keep the tears from falling as the plane began to take off. He hated flying more than anything. He always had severe panic attacks on planes ever since… ever since…

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Sam sat outside in the garden of his house. The backyard, which had a basketball hoop attached (which Sam and Eric had spent a whole afternoon setting up) to the top of their old shed. Sam was more interested in Basketball and Soccer while Eric enjoyed different sports such as Tennis, and Ice Hockey.

Playing Basketball took his mind off his brother, bot not completely. It also helped him to stop thinking about other things that were wrong in his life… such as school. He was getting very bad grades at the moment and he was close to failing Pre Algebra. His parents couldn't afford him a tutor so he had to do all his homework by himself.

He threw the basketball with all the force he could at the hoop. It went through the net with a _swish _and it bounced back to him. He continued shooting for a while until it was time for dinner.

_Swish_.

Why can't you be more like Eric? He's smart. He gets good grades. Straight A's, every single time. And what do you get? Well, I hope you don't think C's means you're smart, Sam. _Swish. Swish. _

It's obvious who your parents like more, Sam. Eric's always considerate. Kind. Thoughtful. Caring. _Swish._ He's everything that you're not. He's everything that you will never be.

_Swish. _

_Swish._

Flick your wrist. Follow through.

Sam ignored the little voice inside his head and kept on shooting until his parents came out and called him inside for dinner.

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**A/N: You can hate me for not updating for, how long has it been? Well, again I apologise. I just hope you liked this chapter enough to possibly... review? Haha, I'm kidding, you don't have to if you don't want to... Seriously... **


	6. We All Fall Down

**Chapter 6: We All Fall Down**

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The next morning when Sam woke up for school, he was _not _in the mood at all. How could he face school by himself? Shaking his head, Sam yawned, stretched and sat up in his bed, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He was determined to show his brother that he wasn't so dependant on him after all.

"Come on," Sam muttered as he got up from his warm bed. "You can do this. You can go to school without Eric. You don't need him, not anymore."

_Of course you don't need him Sam. You're hopeless. Pathetic. Weak. You can't live one day without Eric by your side, Sam_.

Want a bet?

Sam didn't even know who or what he was talking or 'arguing' with, but he felt like he shouldn't just ignore it. Sam changed into his school clothes and grabbed his backpack, which was hanging from the handle on his and Eric's shared wardrobe.

He walked out of his room and into the kitchen. His stomach was rumbling, but he felt like he didn't want to eat anything. He decided he was just going to grab a granola bar or something and make his way to school.

"Morning Sam," his mother said as he entered the kitchen. "I've packed your lunch for you today." She said, handing Sam a lunch bag. Sam accepted it from his mother, although he secretly thought he wasn't going to be needing it today.

"Thanks mum," Sam said, grabbing a granola bar from the pantry. He tucked it into the pocket of his shorts and headed out the door.

"Well," Sam muttered to himself. "Might as well get this over with." He said as he stepped out onto the footpath and checked his watch, which read _7:52am_.

Only 8 hours and 32 minutes to go.

On the way to school, Sam threw out the Granola bar and his lunch in a trash can.

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Eric couldn't believe it when the plane finally landed the next day, or night, or was it day? Or, whatever time it was in Australia. His watch was still set for San Diego time. Australia was truly a beautiful country.

The sun was shining high in the sky, and it was a stifling 90°F outside. Apparently, Australia measured their temperature in Celsius, which was one of the things he had learned during his Geography lessons.

He couldn't help but worry over Sam. Their goodbye seemed awfully cold to Eric.

"Stop getting so worked up over Sam, Eric. He's fine. He's back home. You're in Australia, for crying out loud! You should be enjoying yourself, not worrying over somebody _else_," Eric muttered to himself.

Well, Eric decided, he was right.

He was going to have the time of his life, and, for once, forget about Sam. Just for the time being.

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Tears threatened to pour from Sam's eyes.

_You're weak; you can't even do anything right! _A voice inside Sam's head told him. He buried his face in his hands as sobs took over.

_An F in P.E? Who even _**gets** _an F in P.E? Nobody!_

_Except YOU._

Sam tried and tried to make the voice go away. But he couldn't, not this time.

It was here to stay.

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**A/N: So there you have it! I'm actually quite proud of myself for updating so soon... hehehe. I hope you still don't hate me for my slow updates. Anyway... here are the replies to my review(s):**

**Princess-Warrior 17; thanks for reviewing my chapters so often! Your advice really helps me a lot! I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! **


	7. Hurt

**Chapter 7: Hurt**

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"Hello? Sam? Are you there?"

Sam's face lit up. "Eric! Yes, I'm here? Where are you? What are you doing? How's Australia?"

Eric smiled. It felt so good to hear his brother's voice after two long days travelling. "Everything's fine. We're just in our hotel. We're staying in the most amazing place—Darling Harbour, you can see everything from here! Their Opera House, Harbour Bridge… it's just incredible. I wish you could be here," he said quietly.

Sam's smile faltered. "So do I. So, um, how was the flight?" his attempt at changing the subject wasn't the best.

"It was fine, just really long, is all. I slept for like, 5 hours when we arrived. My roommate said as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out like a light," Eric wasn't sure if he should laugh or not.

"That sounds like you're having a good time."

"Yeah."

There was a long pause, leaving Eric hanging on the other line.

"So… how's school?" Eric asked, attempting to break the awkward silence.

"Fine." Sam said bitterly.

Eric's eyes widened. Sam wasn't usually like that. He was normally kind, caring and sweet, not angry, harsh and pissed. He was quite surprised by his sudden change of mood.

"Sam… is everything okay?" Eric asked tentatively. He already knew the answer, even if Sam told him otherwise.

Sam had to bite his tongue when the feeling of resentment towards his brother took over him. The knuckles on his hands were more prominent than ever, and he took sharp breaths through his tightly clenched jaw.

"Sam?" Eric prodded gently.

He suddenly exploded: "Of course everything isn't fine Eric! You're all the way over in Australia having the time of your life, while I'm stuck back home with mum and dad. Does that sound fine to you? Well, if it does, then there's something obviously wrong with you. How could I be fine when all I hear all day is mum and dad yelling at me for letting my grades slip in school? And you couldn't care less about me, after all, I am your TWIN brother! I'll tell you what Eric, I do not need you anymore!"

Sam hung up quickly and took deep breaths, trying to calm himself. He was usually a quiet person, what was happening to him?

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**A/N: Sorry if this was short. I just wrote it up and decided to post it, so yeah... Oh, and thank you so much to everybody who has reviewed/favourited/followed my story so far! It means a lot to me! I'm so happy you're all enjoying it. **


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